Lifting-jack.



T. MOGUIRE.

LI'TING JACK.

APPLICATION FILED DB0.16,1912.

1,096,552-, Patented May12,1914.

l| iill lill ln AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA L THOMAS MCGUIRE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFTING-JACK.

incense.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led December 16, 1912.

Patented May 12, 1914,. Serial No. 736,916.

To all 'who/n it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS MCGUIRF., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LiftingJacks, of which the following is a specification.

My in'iprovements while applicable to lifting jacks generally, are designed more particularly for railraising jacks used on railroads when surfacing or grading by tamping ballast; and are designedto afford a device which may be used with absolute safety, z'. c., that may be left in position without danger of contacting with a pass ing train. To this end I have devised a construction and arrangement of parts op erative entirely below the upper surface of the rail to which the device may be applied. Incidentally I also attain greater efficiency and increased extent and accuracy of ad,- justment.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is an elevation of the left hand side of my improved rail-jack, illustrating the use thereof; Fig. 2, an elevation of the right hand side of the device; Fig. 3, is a top view thereof; F ig. Lt, a central vertical longitudinal section taken upon plane of line 4-4 Fig. 3; Fig. 5, is an elevation of the toe sleeve removed from the frame; Fig. 6, a top view of the lift lever; Fig. 7, a detail view of the lifting pawl.

B, is the base plate supporting a guide stud ZJ, and side standards Zn, Z, the latter being unitedby a cross web b3, and all these parts being preferably cast together or otherwise made rigid and integral with relation to each other. The guide post or stud b, is polygonal in transverse section, preferably square, to prevent the turning of the jack sleeve S, thereon, and thus insure its vertical alinement.

The jack sleeve S, rests loosely upon said guide post Z), and between it and the adjacent inner side walls of the standards b', b2, which are formed with vertical race ways 'or grooves Z211, 522, for the accommodation of the side flanges s, s, on the jack sleeve S, as will be seen more particularly by reference to Fig. 8. The rear side of the jack sleeve S, is formed with the series of rack teeth s', S', and the front side with the lifting toe s2, which is situated below the top of said sleeve a distance less than the height of the road rail to be manipulated. In ad dition to the flange retaining grooves Z111, b2, the standards b, Z22, may be formed with bearing shoulders ZJ, for supporting the jack sleeve laterally as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3.

Fulcrumed upon and between the side standards Zi', Z22, is the jack lever L, the fulcrum Z, extending through suitable holes formed for it iu said side standards and the jack lever L. The latter is preferably relatively short but substantial in structure, its outer arm being formed with a polygonal socket tongue t, for engagement with an actuating lever or bar, not shown. It is also formed on its under side with a stop shoulder Z,`for contacting with a stationary part as shown in Fig. 4t, when the long arm of the lever is in its lowest position.

Seated upon the inner end of the lever L, and preferably fulcrumed thereto, is the jack pawl P, adapted at its upper end to engage with the under sides of the rack teeth s', s', as shown in Fig. 4. This jack pawl P, is formed with a lateral trip arm 79, which eX- tends through an opening Zi", in one of the side standards, it being shown in the draw ings as formed in the left hand side standard b. A releasing switch cam C, is pivotally connected to the standard Z/, adjacent to the said opening Zix, and is adapted to be swung back and forth manually into and out of the path of the lateral arm 7), of the lifting pawl l), as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

detent pawl D, is pivotally mounted upon and between the side standards o', Zig, which, when thrown into engagement with the rack teeth s', of the jack sleeve S, sustain the latter as advanced or elevated hv the lifting pawl P.

Suppose the rail jack to have been used for sustaining a rail during the tainping of adjacent ties, when this has been accomplished successfully and it is desired to release and remove the jack for use elsewhere, the switch cam C, is swung into the position shown in solid lines in Fig. l, by means of its finger flange c, and the detent paw] D, by means of its finger flange d, is retracted from the rack teeth s', of the jack sleeve S. Under these conditions if the longer outer arm of the actuating lever L, is rocked upward the lifting pawl P, will obviously be lowered, with the jack sleeve S. When the lateral arm p, on the lifting pawl P, en-

counters the cam switch C, the upper edge of the lifting pawl l), will be swung out of engagement with the rack teeth s', of the jack sleeve S, and the latter will drop into its lowest position, resting on the base plate B.

When it is again desired to use the jack, after placing the same in position the cam switch is thrown back into the position indicated in dotted lines Fig. l, and the detent D, swung over into engagement with the rack teeth s, on the jack sleeve, when the rocking of the actuating lever L, will elevate the said sleeve and its lifting toe s2, to the extent desired.

In order to provide for an intermediate lift t. e. of one half the distance between adjoining rack teeth s, or less, l provide the actuating lever L, with an auxiliary side pawl A, which when desired may be thrown into position for engagement with a shoulder 633, arranged for instance on the side ltandard b2, as shown in Fig. Q. By this means the ack sleeve S, acting through the medium of the lifting pawl P, may be sustained in a raised position independent of the detent D, when desired, as in effecting a final and delicate adjustment of the rail, &c.

By the use of the jack sleeve S, slidable upon the guide post Z), I am enabled to keep the structure entirely below the top of the rail so that a passing train cannot contact therewith, and it is therefore not necessary to remove the jack on the approach of a train as heretofore,-delay or difiiculty in effecting such removal having been the cause of accidents. To this end, the lifting toe s2, is always so positioned with relation to the top of the jack sleeve S, that the top of the rail will extend slightly above said sleeve as indicated in Fig. l, so that when the jack is applied on the outside of the track as is customary, the wheels of a passing locomotive and train will have ample clearance in so far as the jack is concerned. Furthermore my construction and arrangement of parts is compact and simple, not liable to get out of order, and well adapted to the conditions and requirements of track work.

The use of the guide post Z), is an important factor in the practical construction and operation of my rail jack, although as a matter of fact it might be omitted and the jack supported by and between the side standards exclusively,or, inversely, my jack sleeve might be mounted entirely on the guide post Z), with like result provided the parts were made strong enough.

Vhat l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

l. In a lifting jack, a base and a guide stud rigid therewith, side standards with a uniting web, a jack sleeve resting loosely upon said guide stud and between it and the adjacent inner side walls of lsaid standards, said j ack sleeve having side flanges and the standards with vertical grooves receiving the same, said jack sleeve being provided with rack teeth and a lifting toe located below the top of said sleeve a distance less than the height of the road rail to be manipulated, said standards being formed with bearing shoulders for the lateral support of such jack sleeve, an actuating lever fulcrumed upon and between the side standards, a lifting pawl pivotally connected with said lever adjacent its fulcrum, and a detent pawl for engaging the rack teeth of the jack sleeve.

2. ln a lifting jack, a base, a vertical member and side standards thereon, the latter having vertical grooves, a jack sleeve embracing said vertical member and having portions engaged in said guide grooves, said jack sleeve being provided with a lifting toe and rack teeth, a lifting lever, a pawl mounted thereon and having a lateral arm, a pivotally mounted detent pawl, and a cam switch mounted on one of said standards and adapted to engage the lateral arm of the lifting pawl, one of said standards being formed with a shoulder, and an auxiliary pawl mounted on the lifting lever for coperation with said shoulder, all of said parts being disposed below the plane of the tread of a rail to which the jack is applied.

THOMAS MCGUIRE.

Witnesses GEO. WM. Miara?, LILLIA MIATT.

Copier: of this patent may be obtained forve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

